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Friday, April 20

Say Hello to Roz Lee!

Hey Wranglers! Today I'm thrilled to have Roz Lee with us today. She's become one of of my fave erotic romance authors. Hope you enjoy! Thanks so much for having me here today!! It was a dreary day, outside and inside, when Shawn contacted me about being a guest, and I was having such a hard timing getting inspired to do anything. Then suddenly, there was Shawn's invite, and my day turned sunny and bright! Well, not outside, the invite didn't change that, but it sure changed my attitude. So, thanks to Shawn and all the lovely Word Wrangling ladies for inviting me. I owe you one.That gloomy day brought some much-needed rain to New Jersey, and spring, I hope, will follow close on its heels. I love spring. Yeah, who doesn't? But, spring for me means baseball season and all those fabulous boys of summer!

I've been a baseball fan for many years and both my daughters played softball all the way through their college years. I love the strategy of the game. I love the way a single change, indiscernible to the untrained eye, can affect the outcome of a game. And most of all, I admire the superb athletes who play it. I know, not all athletes are stellar examples of the human race, and I cringe at some of the ones children look up to. But by and large, the men who play the game are as dedicated to helping others as they are to their jobs.

We often forget that what we perceive as a game is a job to these athletes. They train relentlessly to be in top physical condition and to perfect the nuances of the position they play. They have to work as a team, and that takes practice and commitment to each other and a common goal. And they do this on the road about half of every year.

I've been on the road now for the last eleven days (writing this in my hotel room), and I can tell you, it's no picnic to travel that way. Living in hotel rooms, out of a suitcase, bouncing from one place to another and working hard in between moves and eating restaurant and hotel food. I think of my eleven days, plus the four or five more before I get to sleep in my own bed again, and I cringe. Imagine doing that over and over again for two-thirds of the year and trying to stay in top physical shape at the same time.

Sure, they have trainers to help keep them on track, but still, it takes a lot of personal effort to commit to that kind of regime. (Says the person sitting on her a** writing instead of going down to the fitness center.)These boys of summer are the inspiration for Jeff and Jason Holder, the twin, baseball playing heroes from Inside Heat, a steamy (sizzling) romance set in the world of professional baseball. Here's what RT Book Reviews had to say in their 4 Star Review –"You don't need to be a baseball fan to enjoy this searing tale of a ménage that blossoms into true love. Emotionally charged, both on the field and off, the story will keep you engaged from the beginning to the final chapter."You can see the full review in the June, 2012 issue of RT Magazine.

Excerpt –Bit by bit, Megan relaxed in their company. They had a way of telling stories that was amusing to watch. One would start, and by some secret cue, the other would continue. It was as if their brains were sync’d by an invisible cord. Prepared to find something to dislike, she chastised herself for categorizing them before she knew them. Jeff insisted on dessert, and they lingered over the mountainous chocolate cake and another bottle of wine. They were nearly through when Jason spoke. “Why don’t we take some chocolate cake home. Then we can smear it all over each other and lick it off – real slow.”Megan wasn’t used to drinking more than an occasional glass, and at first, she attributed what she’d heard to the three glasses she’d consumed tonight.“What?” She closed her eyes and forced her brain to focus. Surely, she’d misheard Jason’s comment. She was long past trying to deny her attraction to the pair, but conjuring up propositions went way beyond fantasizing. It bordered on drunkenness and possibly, insanity. “Would you repeat that, please?” Megan mentally congratulated herself for sounding rational when she was working with seriously compromised judgment. Jeff touched her lightly on the arm and she turned her now pounding head in his direction. “Jason can be a bit crude sometimes. I apologize for his behavior.” He shot his brother a look that said, "Way to go, asshole," then turned his attention back to Megan. “What he meant to say, was, we’d like for you to come out to our house this weekend. We want to get to know you better, and give you a chance to get to know us.”That sounded more rational. Megan tore her gaze away from Jeff, and risked a glance at Jason. His smile made her insides warm, or maybe it was the wine. Jeff’s fingers still rested lightly on her forearm, not demanding, but conveying a message all the same. She jerked her arm off the table and twisted her hands in the cloth napkin in her lap.“No pressure,” Jeff said. His voice vibrated along her nerve endings. “We like you, a lot. And we think you like us. We want to explore that further, to see if perhaps you might like a lot more from us.”“I think I’ve had too much to drink. What exactly are we talking about here?”“This isn’t the place to go into details, but I think you know. We want you, Megan. Both of us. We’d like to find out if it’s something you’d be interested in. We don’t expect you to answer right away. That’s why we want you to come out to our place. You can see the way we live. We can discuss the details then, if it’s something you think you might want.”She didn’t know what to say. It seemed she had heard Jason correctly. He’d asked her to go to bed with them, tonight. More specifically, he’d suggested licking her body – all over – and allowing her to do the same. It hadn’t been her overactive imagination, spurred on by too much wine. As appealing as that sounded, and she wouldn’t lie to herself, it did sound appealing; she wasn’t into that kind of thing. At least she didn’t think she was. She didn’t do no-strings-attached-kinky-ménage sex. “I’ve got to go.” She jerked her purse off the back of the chair as she stood. Her head swam, and this time, she knew it wasn’t entirely the fault of the alcohol. She was off balance, but she couldn’t blame it on drinking – not entirely. She made it as far as the front door, and turned to ask the maitre d’ to call a cab. Two towering males blocked her way.“We have a car waiting. We’ll take you home.” Jeff slipped an arm around her waist while Jason signaled to a car parked down the street. The sleek black town car pulled to the curb, and a moment later Megan was in the backseat, flanked by the two sexiest men she’d ever seen. Jason asked for her address, relayed it to the driver, then closed the partition, sealing them off from the world.One hot hand skimmed her thigh, sneaking under the hem of her dress to stroke dangerously close to her throbbing parts. Another slipped around her neck, long fingers massaging her nape as the thumb stroked her jaw, gently turning her face in the opposite direction from where the other hand had come from. She found herself looking up into Jeff Holder’s eyes. Before she could form a protest, he bent his head and took her lips in a kiss that loosened every muscle in her body, and did serious damage to her moral fiber. The hand on her thigh tugged, and her legs slid open. Fingers stroked a path to her core, and she groaned against Jeff’s lips as another set of fingers joined the fray. Her thighs spread wider in silent invitation.

About the author – Roz Lee has been married to her best friend, and high school sweetheart, for over three decades. These days she splits her time between their home in rural New Jersey, and Southern California, where her husband works. Even though she’s lived on both coasts, her heart lies in between, in Texas. A Texan by birth, she can trace her family back to the Republic of Texas. With roots that deep, she says, “You can’t ever really leave.”Roz and her husband have two grown daughters they couldn’t be more proud of, and are currently raising a ten-year-old Labrador Retriever, Betty Boop, who isn’t aware of her canine heritage.When Roz isn’t writing, she’s reading, or traipsing around the country on one adventure or another. No trip is too small, no tourist trap too cheesy, and no road unworthy of traveling.

29 comments:

Enjoyed the interview! I know this book is HOT, sure steamed up my kindle (in a good way LOL). The comment about sports being a job for the professional athlete is a good one. I think sometimes people forget that yes, they love the sport but it is their actual job.

Thanks for stopping by Veronica. Sure hope the steam didn't damage your eReader! I think it's the 'play ball' thing that gives the spectator the perception that it is only a game. Perhaps that's true when we're kids, but adults playing - for the kind of salaries they get - it is not a game to them.

Great review, Roz! Also - very good point about the tough life of living on the road. Just finding a way to eat healthy food becomes a challenge. How the heck does anyone keep a relationship going if they're never around?

Thanks Lynne! I think you've hit on the very reason some of these athletes have a bad track record in the relationship dept., plus throw in the women who seek them out on the road. It's got to be a tough life if they're looking for a deeper, lasting relationship.

Congrats on the RT marvelous review! Being an athlete is daunting and does require a commitment most would not be able to make. And on the road?? Goodness--it seems their is almost a conspiracy to keep us from eating anything approaching a vegetable...lol.

Vegetables? What are those?? LOL I missed them at the RT Convention, didn't you? I think I saw two green veggies the entire week! I'm sure the professional teams have some special arrangements with the hotels they stay at, or there wouldn't be any hunks, only chunks!

LOL Hi Dee J.! I attribute the longevity of our relationship to months spent on separate coasts each year! Just kidding. It takes a great commitment to see it through, just like anything else. It's the most important game we play in our lives. Thanks for stopping by!Say hi to all the celebs on the set for me. (as if they would know who I was, or care.) *giggles*